Share

Stowaway survives in nose wheel of freight flight from South Africa to Netherlands - police

accreditation
0:00
play article
Subscribers can listen to this article

A stowaway was discovered in the wheel section under the front of a Cargolux freight plane that arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport from Africa on Sunday, Dutch military police said.

"The man is doing well considering the circumstances and has been taken to a hospital," the police, who are in charge of Dutch border control, said in a statement.

Marechausse spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds said the man's age and nationality had not yet been determined.

"Our first concern of course was for his health," she said.

"This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height - very, very unusual.

"A spokesperson for freight carrier Cargolux confirmed in an email that the stowaway had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia.

"We are not in a position to make any further comment until the authorities and the airline have completed their investigation," they said.

The only Cargolux freight flight arriving at Schiphol on Sunday was a Boeing 747 freighter that travelled from Johannesburg and made a stop in Nairobi, Kenya, according to Schiphol's website and flight tracking data.

A spokesperson for the airport declined to answer questions about the incident.


We want to hear your views on the news. Subscribe to News24 to be part of the conversation in the comments section of this article.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won't be billed. 
Subscribe to News24
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
What are your feelings about the rise of ransom kidnappings in SA?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
It's always been a problem, but was underreported before
10% - 208 votes
The crisis requires a tactical response from SAPS
14% - 300 votes
SA's security cluster remains asleep at the wheel
77% - 1670 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.72
+0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.55
+0.5%
Rand - Euro
20.12
+1.0%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.62
+0.3%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+1.0%
Platinum
1,008.77
-0.1%
Palladium
1,322.69
-2.8%
Gold
1,960.83
-0.3%
Silver
24.30
+0.1%
Brent Crude
75.96
-1.3%
Top 40
71,602
-0.1%
All Share
76,936
-0.1%
Resource 10
68,393
-1.2%
Industrial 25
102,984
-0.4%
Financial 15
15,877
+2.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE